Our Violent Atmospheremsewell.weebly.com/uploads/7/0/4/5/70453749/goal_2... · The Fury of the...

Our Violent

Atmosphere

The Nature of Storms

Lesson 7

Thunderstorms

Think About It…

During which months do

we get the most

damaging thunderstorms

here in the Piedmont?

Focus Question…

How do the major types of

thunderstorms form?

Average Number of Thunderstorm Days

Annually…

Types of Thunderstorms…

Air Mass - Mountain Where… within one air mass over a mountain

Why… warm air rises over a mountain, forming storm clouds!

When… midafternoon

http://web.mst.edu/~rogersda/umrcourses/ge301/press&siever12.3.png

Types of Thunderstorms…

Air Mass - Sea-Breeze Where… coastal areas, esp. tropics/subtropics

Why… temperature differences between land and sea create convection cells and updrafts

When… summer

http://apollo.lsc.vsc.edu/~wintelsw/MET1010LOL/web/notes/chapter11/ts_ingredients4summary.html

Types of Thunderstorms…

Frontal - Cold Where… at the leading edge of a cold front

Why… cold air pushes warm air rapidly up at the steep cold-front boundary

When… anytime a cold front moves in!

http://apollo.lsc.vsc.edu/classes/met130/notes/chapter11/graphics/cf_xsect.jpg

Types of Thunderstorms…

Frontal – Warm Where… at the

leading edge of a warm front

Why… warm air mass slides up over a cold air mass creating clouds

When… if a warm front moves in with enough moisture and instability

http://www.atmoz.org/img/warm-front.png

Thunderstorms in the

Piedmont…

Which types of

thunderstorms do we

experience here in the

Piedmont?

Frontal (warm and

cold)

Local Air Mass (in the

summer)

http://www2.journalnow.com/mgmedia/image/0/354/118602/severe-storms-cause-damage-across-region/

Stages of Development of a

Thunderstorm…

http://chiefio.wordpress.com/2010/12/28/ignore-the-day-at-your-peril/

NSSL – Q&A

Thunderstorms…

The National Severe Storm

Laboratory is in Norman, OK.

http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/primer/tstor

m/tst_detecting.html

Severe Thunderstorms

anvil

Precipitation

Rain Free Base

http://ed101.bu.edu/StudentDoc/Archives/ED101fa06/mattwall/Extreme%20Weather.htm

How Lightning Forms …

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/bgm/preparedness/swaw/ny/images/Light1.gif

Lightning…

1. What is lightning?

A giant spark of static electricity

2. When does a lightning bolt form?

When there is an electrical imbalance between clouds (-) and the ground (+)

2a. What is a stepped leader?

An invisible channel of negatively charged air from a cloud

http://i.imwx.com/web/multimedia/images/blog/stepped_lightning2.jpg

Lightning…

2b. What is return stroke (positive streamer)?

A channel of positively-charged ions from the ground

3. What causes thunder?

Super-heated air expanding and contracting

How hot is lightning?

30,000 degrees Celsius

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/lightning/images/lightning8.jpg

http://www.eoearth.org/files/119701_119800/119773/Step5.jpg

Lightning Damage…

The damage that lightning can do…

7500 forest fires/year

300 injuries/ 93 deaths/year

Property damage

Lightning-struck trees on the

Blue Ridge Parkway http://www.sciencephoto.com/images/download_lo_res.html?id=670034119

http://www.barransclass.com/phys1090/circus/JenkinsD/JenkinsD.html

Lightning Q&A and Safety…

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/lightn

ing/lightning_faq.htm#10

Lesson 8

Severe Weather

Think About It…

Where is the safest place

to be during a tornado?

Focus Question…

How do tornados form and

how are they classified?

The Fury of the Wind…

1. A downburst is a violent downdraft concentrated in a local area

a. Two types of downbursts are

a. macrobursts (more than 2 ½ miles wide / 130 mph winds / 5 - 20 min)

b. microbursts (2 ½ miles wide / 168 mph winds / less than 10 min).

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/tstorms/wind.htm

b. Microbursts are deadlier b/c they are hard to detect and plan for.

Hail…

2. What is hail?

Precipitation in the form of balls or lumps of ice

Floods…(The main cause of

thunderstorm-related deaths)

3. What are 3 conditions that cause floods to occur?

a. Wind currents in the upper atmosphere are weak

so that weather systems move slowly.

b. Abundant moisture over a limited area

c. Rain falls faster than the ground can absorb it.

d. ADD THIS Groundwater levels are high and

water can not infiltrate the ground.

Slide show May 17, 2011… The Flooding Mississippi

River http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/12/mississippi-river-flooding-photos-

2011_n_861204.html#s279672&title=Mississippi_River_Flooding

Tornadoes (Formation of…)

A. A change in wind direction and speed creates a horizontal rotation.

B. Strong updrafts tilt the rotating air to a vertical position.

C. A tornado forms within the rotating winds.

Tornado Alley - The Midwest! A cP air mass from

Canada meets a mT

air mass from the

Gulf of Mexico

forming a supercell.

A supercell is a

giant, self-sustaining

storm that can

spawn tornados.

Most tornadoes

occur in May.

The Enhanced Fujita

Scale…

This scale is used to classify a tornado

AFTER the tornado has passed by

looking at the damage and effects of

the tornado.

The Enhanced Fujita

Scale…EF0 or EF1

- % of all tornados…

80

- Path…

up to 3 miles

- Wind Speed…

60-115 mph

- Duration…

1 – 10 minutes Dr. Theodore Fujita

The Enhanced Fujita

Scale…EF2 or EF3

- % of all tornados…

19

- Path…

15+ miles

- Wind Speed…

110 - 165 mph

- Duration…

20+ minutes

The Enhanced Fujita

Scale…EF4 or EF5

- % of all tornados…

1 (Thankfully!)

- Path…

50+ miles

- Wind Speed…

200+ mph

- Duration…

1+ hours

Tornado Safety…

1. Move to a pre-designated shelter – to a

basement if possible.

2. Move to an interior room/hall, lowest floor, under

sturdy furniture. (A bath tub is safest!)

3. Stay away from windows.

4. Get out of vehicles!

5. Don’t try to outrun a tornado.

6. If outside, lie flat in a ditch or depression.

7. Abandon a mobile home for a shelter.

Lesson 9

Tropical Storms

Think About It…

From which direction do

the hurricanes which hit

our east coast come?

Focus Question…

How does a hurricane

form?

Tropical Cyclones…

1. A tropical cyclone can be described as a…

Large, rotating, low pressure storm

2. We call these storms…

hurricanes

3. Tropical cyclones derive a tremendous amount of energy from…

Warm, tropical oceans http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/history.shtml

Tropical Cyclones…

4. Which direction do

tropical cyclones turn in

the northern hemisphere?

Counterclockwise

It is a low

pressure system!

Fran, 1996, Cape Fear, NC

Name was retired!

Tropical Cyclones…

5. As a hurricane strengthens, what do the following components do?

a. Air pressure in eyewall– decreases

b. Surface wind speeds – increase

6. What are two basic conditions that tropical cyclones require to form?

a. Lots of warm ocean water

b. Disturbance to lift the air

Tropical Cyclones…

1) Tropical cyclones in the N. Hemisphere move steadily towards…

the west! 2) Which wind system moves across the USA and usually guides

hurricanes out into the Atlantic Ocean?

the prevailing westerlies

Hurricane Rita – 2005, 3rd lowest pressure in Atlantic (897 mb), hit as cat. 3

Development of a Tropical

Cyclone…

Tropical Disturbance – a weak, low-pressure

system – group of thunderstorms collect

Development of a Tropical

Cyclone…

Tropical Depression – a disturbance begins

to rotate around the center of low pressure

Katrina as a tropical depression

Development of a Tropical

Cyclone…

Tropical Storm – a depression is labeled a

storm when the wind speeds reach 39 mph.

Tropical Storm Dalila, July 2007

Development of a Tropical

Cyclone…

Tropical Hurricane – pressure drops and the

wind speeds reach 74 mph

Ivan

2006

Dean

2007

Katrina

2005

Hurricane History…

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/englis

h/history.shtml#galveston

Anatomy of a Hurricane…

Classifying Hurricanes…

1. What scale is used to classify hurricanes?

Saffir-Simpson

2. What are the four characteristics of a hurricane described by the scale?

a. Wind speed – how high?

b. Air pressure – how low?

c. Potential for damage – how much?!

d. Storm surge

Weds. 12/12/12…

2:10 pm

OVC

St

46 degrees

30.26

54%

0

No fronts!

Classifying Hurricanes…

3. The Saffir-Simpson Scale…

a. Categories 1 – 5

b. Category that does the most damage – 5

c. Wind speed of a cat 5? > 155 mph

d. Three most powerful storms to hit USA?

a. Florida Keys, 1935

b. Camille, 1969

c. Andrew, 1992

Classifying Hurricanes…

4. A hurricane runs

out of energy

a. When it

moves over

land

b. When it

moves over

cold water

Hurricane Hazards…

1. The strongest

winds in a

hurricane are in

the…

… eye wall

Hurricane Hazards…

2. What is a storm surge?

1. When hurricane force winds drive a mound

of ocean water towards coastal areas

Hurricane Hazards…

3. What hurricane hazard is caused by great

amounts of rain?

floods

Flooding from

Hurricane Fran

Hurricane Hazards…

5. Which agency is

responsible for

tracking and

forecasting

hurricanes?

The National

Hurricane Center

in Miami, FL at

the FIU Campus

(NOAA)

The World’s Best Hurricane

Safety Tip…

EVACUATE!!

Lesson 10

Human Impact on Air Quality

Smog…

1. Smog is a yellow-brown photochemical haze.

2. Smog is caused by the action of solar

radiation on an atmosphere polluted with

hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, mostly

from car exhaust.

3. Smog can make it difficult to breathe!

4. The major chemical in smog is ozone.

5. Ozone irritates the eyes, nose, throat, and

lungs.

Particulate Matter…

1. Four examples of particulate matter include…

1. ash, dust, pollen, and asbestos fibers.

2. These are forms of SOLID pollutants in the air.

2. Particulate matter is harmful to people

because they can…

1. lodge in lung tissues,

2. disrupt normal functions,

3. cause breathing difficulties and lung disease.

Global Warming…

a. Global warming is…

1. an increase in Earth’s average surface

temperature.

b. Some scientists believe that the cause of

global warming is...

1. … the burning of fossil fuels

2. …which releases carbon dioxide (CO2)

Remember - CO2 makes up only .04% of the

atmosphere! (4 out of 10,000 molecules)

There are many scientists who believe the Sun

has the major role in global warming/cooling.

The Greenhouse Effect

What is the greenhouse effect? It is heat from the sun being trapped by the gases in our atmosphere. A greenhouse effect you may relate

to is that of a closed car on a cold, sunny day in winter.

The greenhouse effect is a GOOD thing! It allows for life on our planet!

The Greenhouse Effect

The Greenhouse Effect and

Carbon Dioxide

Carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere by respiration,

decay, and burning of fossil fuels. It is absorbed or stored by

such carbon sinks as untapped fossil fuels, oceans, and forests.

The Ozone Issue

The ozone layer is found in the stratosphere.

It absorbs ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

The Ozone Issue

The ozone layer is important because…

• Ultraviolet radiation from the sun can cause cataracts (a clouding of the lens of the eye) and skin cancer.

• Ultraviolet radiation can kill the eggs of certain animals like amphibians because they lay their eggs in shallow water.

The Ozone Issue

The chemical formula for

ozone is O3

The Ozone Issue

Man-made chemicals called (CFCs) chlorofluorocarbons react with ozone and break it apart.

The part of the CFC molecule that reacts with the ozone molecule is the chlorine atom.

The Ozone Issue

CFCs are used as refrigerants, coolants, propellants in aerosol cans, and Styrofoam.

The Ozone Issue

This diagram illustrates what a “hole” in the ozone might look like.

The Ozone Issue

“The hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica is seen in a series of satellite images over a 21-year time span.

The hole may actually close within 50 years as the level of destructive ozone-depleting CFCs in the atmosphere is now declining, one of the world's leading atmospheric scientist Paul Fraser from the Australian government's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) said on Tuesday.

Fraser said he had measured a decline in ozone-destroying gases since 2000. — Reuters photo”

The Ozone Issue

d. CFCs were banned in the late 1980’s in industrialized nations. They are still in use in some places in the world.

“Under the 1987 Montreal Protocol, developing countries committed themselves to halving consumption and production of the CFCs by 2005 and to achieving an 85 percent cut by 2007.”

Acid Rain…

a. Acid Rain is precipitation with a pH of less than 5.

b. The pH of natural precipitation is 5.0 to 5.6.

c. Acid precipitation forms when sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides combine with atmospheric moisture to create sulfuric acid and nitric acid.

d. Six types of acid precipitation are acidic rain, snow, fog, mist, gas, and dust.

e. Nitrous oxide and sulfur dioxide come from volcanoes, marshes, and human activities

Acid Rain…

f. The source of acid precipitation that receives the most attention is caused by coal-burning power plants in the midwestern USA.

g. Three effects of acid precipitation are...

a. It causes damage to aquatic ecosystems and vegetation.

b. It affects plants and soil.

c. It damages stone buildings and statues.

h. Acid precipitation can be prevented by using wet scrubbers to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide by coal-burning power plants.

World’s Tallest Buddha…

Buddha will get a face

lift after many years of

weathering and acid

rain damage.